Nicola Davies – Children’s Laureate Wales

At a special celebration at Maesteg Library on Wednesday 10 September 2025, award-winning writer and poet Nicola Davies was announced as the new Children’s Laureate for Wales. Nicola becomes the fourth writer to take on this inspiring role, which encourages children and young people across Wales to discover the power of reading, writing, and creativity.

Nicola will serve as Laureate until August 2027, working to make poetry accessible, enjoyable, and relevant to young people everywhere. She hopes to empower children to find confidence in their own voices and to use storytelling as a way to understand the world around them.

Speaking about her hopes for her time as Children’s Laureate Wales, Nicola said: “I want all children in Wales to experience the pleasure of reading, the superpower of writing, and to find their own voices as creative change-makers and advocates for a fairer, and more sustainable future.”

Nicola’s journey to writing is as fascinating as her books. She began her career as a biologist, studying wildlife including geese, bats and whales. She then became a presenter for the BBC Natural History Unit, appearing on programmes such as The Really Wild Show, before becoming a full-time author. Since then, she has written over 90 books for children and young people, ranging from picture books and poetry to novels. Her work has been translated into more than 12 languages and has received awards across Wales, the UK, Europe and the United States.

While many of Nicola’s books explore the natural world, she is also known for writing about important themes such as disability, grief, migration and children’s rights. Her recent YA novels The Song That Sings Us and Skrimsli, both published by Firefly Press, were nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Award for Writing, with Skrimsli winning the Children and Young People’s category at the *Wales Book of the Year Awards 2024. Her poetry collection Choose Love was also shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Award in 2024.

As Children’s Laureate Wales, Nicola will focus on:

• Expanding access to literature, particularly for children from under-represented backgrounds

• Supporting well-being through reading and creativity

• Helping young people discover joy through books and writing

• Giving children the confidence to express themselves

Nicola will keep busy by:

• Leading poetry workshops in schools and communities

• Writing official poems to mark events important to young people

• Creating creative digital resources

• Championing the voices of Wales’ children nationally and internationally

Nicola’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for Children’s Laureate Wales, and we look forward to the inspiration she will spark in young readers across the country.